PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Exercise: Children and Young People (19 October 2021)

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to tackle the gender gap in activity levels amongst Asian and Black children and young people set out in Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey Academic Year 2019/20 Report, published in January 2021.

Asked by:
Feryal Clark (Labour)

The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have the best opportunities to engage in sport and physical activity. Our Sporting Future strategy has diversity and inclusion at its heart, and sets out how important it is for all children to have a good experience of sport and physical activity.

Throughout the pandemic we provided an unprecedented £1 billion of financial support to ensure the survival of the sport and leisure sector. To tackle inequalities and support those most impacted by the restrictions, Sport England have launched a new £20m Together Fund that builds on the work of their £20m Tackling Inequalities Fund to help people stay active and provide guidance on how to find accessible activities. Initiatives such as the Studio You video platform, funded by Sport England and powered by This Girl Can, are also encouraging more teenage girls to be active. Sport England’s recently launched Uniting the Movement strategy reinforces their commitment to tackling inequalities faced in sport by underrepresented groups.

A key driver of the government’s School Sport and Activity Action Plan is to ensure that all children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. This is supported by £320 million per year through the PE and sport premium.

Answered by:
Nigel Huddleston (Conservative)
25 October 2021